I NOTE with interest Bill Robotham’s letter titled Corner Concerns. I don’t agree with him on many points, not least when he says a "fall back position should be considered for the Scotch Corner Development so that the superstore can be converted into housing in the future".

The Scotch Corner retail development will, as has been stated many times, bring much needed employment and revenue to Richmondshire.

The very idea that there should be a protectionist policy to protect shops in other towns in the north is total nonsense.

I don’t recall such a policy being suggested when the Cornmill Centre was proposed in Darlington many years ago, or indeed the Teesside Retail Park, at Stockton.

Scotch Corner is an ideal site for such a development because of the very fact that it is a focal point for motorists passing from the south to north, which of course includes both the east and west sides of Scotland.

The upgrade of the A1 soon to be completed, together with the proposed duelling of the A66, will help. The idea that it will attract most custom from local folk is simply not looking to the future.

I remember when the A1 motorway was opened from Barton to Gateshead .

No doubt there were cries of anguish to the proposals from shopkeepers in Darlington then as it would take trade away from Northgate where the A1 passed through prior 1964.

The fact is that we must move with the times. The public demands better and better shopping facilities like the proposed venture. If Darlington is struggling with empty shops then it is up to it to create a facility which will attract the public. For example, the development opened near the roundabout at the bottom of Victoria Road is a major step forwards when one considers what the old bus station looked like.

I look forward to the huge opportunity for Richmondshire when the new development is open for business.

Angus Thompson, Stapleton